Good Luck Charms

I recently brought my mother's antique writing desk up to my bedroom and have been using it as my workplace. In the past I have worked at my kitchen table, in my living room at a TV tray, at a rolling desk to follow the sunbeam through my house (like a dog).

Something happened when I started working at an actual desk, though. Little treasures accumulated: A beautiful Robert Sabuda pop-up Christmas card from my friend Erin, a picture of my kids, a framed Gwen Frostic poem that used to be Debbie's, an enormous conch seashell from my childhood. There is an encouraging card from my mother, with congratulations for a small publication. A favorite handpainted china saucer is used as a coaster. I have a clay figurine molded by one of my kids when they were very young. It's supposed to be a dog, but resembles something more alligator-like. There is also some junk in the drawers that needs cleaning out, and some clutter in the little side bins, too.

I never thought of these things as particularly or deliberately inspiring, but I realize now how nice it is to have my own little corner with trinkets and things to look at while I work. They are sort of the opposite of distracting, which is what you call inspiration I suppose.

This question was on Kirby Larson's blog: What are the things you keep on your shelves or on your walls that celebrate your writing self? That comfort you? That inspire you?

Let's make that our question this week. Tell us what it looks like where you are working. :o)

Winter Whoa Woes

I'm inordinately unfond of winter. Other than cross-country skiing, I find no use for snow. I detest winter driving. And the cold? I have nothing good to say about it. Nor, really, about winter in general. The days are short, and cabin fever a reality. All the hot cocoa in the world doesn't quite make up for winter's shortcomings.

On the plus side? Few distractions.

No flowers to smell. No long jacketless walks to take. No beaches to visit. No lawns to mow.

As long as I can ward off the midwinter doldrums (a battle I'm slowly winning as the years go on -- lots of exercise and sufficient sleep seem to help greatly), I actually get quite a bit of writing done in the winter. When there's little else to do but hunker down and work, well, one hunkers down and works.

But as soon as that first crocus pops up? I'm clockin' out!

Writing Through the Seasons

-April

Is it a form of affective disorder to have your writing ability influenced by sunlight (or lack thereof)? We should really come up with an official term for weather writing. For me, it's not just my writing that is affected by winter, though: I go into a form of hibernation that looks a lot like me walking around, but isn't. I'm somewhere deep inside, waiting it out.
I do like to read in the winter, like Lori says. Big fat books, late at night with tea nearby.

That being said, I have lately decided to push myself to tie up some loose ends with unfinished stories. Just yesterday, I completed a first draft of a playful project involving nursery rhymes. This week, I edited a nonfiction piece that I'd put on the back shelf many months ago. Today, I'm working on another idea.
So I guess it's not so much the Weather, as Whether or not you can overcome it!

Turning, Turning

By Lori

My writing normally doesn't follow seasonal ebbs and flows, but has a cycle all its own. The current downward turn is happening to coincide with the middle of the winter, which is a bummer, because winter on it's own doesn't promote a lot of motivation in general on my part.

So, I have been reading a lot, reviewing books and conducting industry interviews for my blog, seeing movies and giving my brain a chance to incubate some ideas. I'm trying to honor the cycle, in hopes that I can help things along by not getting my undies in a bunch over things.

I'm considering abandoning a story I have outlined because it's not holding my interest. Maybe I'll go back to it another day, or incorporate bits of that plot into whatever I work on next. Nothing is wasted. I have a new idea that is very close to my heart, is but a wisp on the paper as of yet. But perhaps I'll tackle it head on in the weeks ahead. And maybe that will be the upswing for a while, until I have to get quiet again.

And so the circle goes. I keep turning turning turning until, eventually (hopefully) I come around right. . . .

Car Won't Start

by Ann

My writing is stalled, and it is tempting to blame the cold.

In fairness though, the real culprit is a ton of family issues. Also I'm in the slowing accelerating phase of a new project. I've done character sketches, made flow charts, and written pages of notes. Soon, I will plan a chapter-by-chapter sequence of events.

The main problem is my main character has lost his voice. Yes, I've tried taking him to the doctor, but the car keeps sliding into snow drifts. Maybe if I could get outside and ski or hike, I could rev up my brain and hear his nerdy, self-absorbed little voice again.

Weather Whither

This week's question for Write Brainers and Write Brainer Readers is...

What with winter currently upon us (subzero temps and windchill and all), do you find that you're writing substantially more, or less, due to the season? Does winter cause you to head in and hole up with your pencil? Or does winter bring on a bout of cabin fever that cuts into your creativity? If winter's not your thing, do you have a particular favorite season for writing?

(OK, so that was more than one question. Call it a question "cluster" if you will. Anyway. Discuss.)